A/N: Heh, this is a weird chapter...

[Ch.4; start]

When morning came, I couldn't get out of bed. I stayed frozen on my back for the longest time, simply keeping my eyes on the ceiling and deciding whether or not to go to school today or feign sickness. The last option has such an appeal to it, too.

But something told me that I should stick it through. Sure, I've already graduated, and sure, I don't know if Niwa will be at school or not, yet I feel the need to go.

Finally, I decide it's best that I do attend school. So I turn over off the bed and onto the floor. I dress myself and briefly comb my hair and eat something small for breakfast. Then I head out the door to the middle school. Although I don't see why out grade is considered 'middle school'; in most other countries over seas, our grade is part of the high school. But then again, we have to enter a certain high school the way people would get into most colleges over seas. Go figure.

I pick spiky red hair out of the crowd. I watch him move slower than usual and chat idly with the twins and Saehara. He seems… off. Normally Daisuke is cheerful and energetic and bashful, but today he appears to be sluggish. I wonder if he's just as exhausted as I am. Although I'm used to wear like this on my body, and Niwa isn't, so it shows more on him than it does me.

I close in on the happy group and decide to eavesdrop. I do it often; it's grown into a habit of mine. Niwa never knows that I'm listening, but I am. I have to in case something comes up.

"Oi, Niwa, mind explaining this photo?" Takeshi grins mischievously. I freeze. Which photo does he have? The one of Krad? I hope not…

He shows the picture to Daisuke, and he immediately turns bright tomato red. "GIMME THAT!" he yells, and reaches for the snapshot.

His friend holds it high above his head, teasing him. "No way! This is gold, haha!"

"What photo?" the shorthaired twin asks, her question reflecting my earlier thoughts. She leans in and Takeshi flashes it to her, keeping Daisuke at bay with one arm. Her mouth falls open and her cheeks flush slightly.

Dammit, which picture is it?!

Risa peeks over her sister's shoulder to see the snapshot. She giggles, and my curiosity only sparks more. "Is that Niwa-kun and Hiwatari-san? What're they doing? And why are there feathers everywhere?"

"Black and white feathers, you notice," Saehara points out. I bite my lip. I know what photo that is, now. It's blackmail worthy, too, because of the position. The wannabe reporter continues, "So it makes me think Hiwatari wasn't lying when he said they got mixed up in Dark and that white-winged guy."

"Come on, Saehara-kun, give me that photo…!" Daisuke tries again, but in vain.

I step out of my hiding place and snatch the snapshot from Saehara. The redhead stares at me. "Hika… Hiwatari-kun!" he exclaims, and thankfully saved himself before he said my real name in front of his friends.

I hand him the photo without really looking at it. I don't need to; I was there. And I don't need anyone else to know this little fact.

"That's my only copy!" Saehara complains as Daisuke stuffs the photo in his pocket. "I need it for the school newspaper."

Niwa tenses and begins sputtering incomplete thoughts at his friend. "Wh-what?! Y-you were going to use it for the paper? Do you have any idea how – I can't let you – Man, that would be so – Gah! I'm definitely keeping it!"

"Good thing, too," I mutter to myself.

Riku decides to say something more on the topic of the terribly discomfiting photo. "What's up with that picture, anyhow? The feathers, I mean. Were you with that pervert Dark? And who owns the white feathers?"

I look between Daisuke's friends and can feel his nervousness hovering around him. "Um, well, you see…"

"Yeah! What's your connection to him, anyway? Is that thief your friend? You always take his side," Takeshi pouts.

"Er, um…" Niwa struggles. "We're… related. Yeah, that's it. He's my… cousin." He winces slightly, and I assume that Dark is giving him shit in his head right now for that statement. But it's true enough; plus, it supplies a good explaination for just about everything he's being quizzed on.

"Related?!" all three exclaim at the same time. I don't even bother to act surprised.

"Uh-huh," Niwa says slowly, trying to get them to buy the lie. "That's why I asked you what you thought of him a while back, Riku-san."

"B-but… th-that means that pervert… UHG!" Riku frets. Her hands are clenching down by her sides with a grip that would kill a horse. She seems extremely flustered. She storms off, muttering incoherent words.

"This is big news!" Takeshi cheers. "Front-cover news! Our own Niwa Daisuke is related to the great Dark Mousy! Ooh, wait… I better not tell my dad that. He might invade your house and demand stuff." He shrugs. "Oh well. Maybe it won't be on the cover of the newspaper, but it's definitely a nice plump rumor that would spread…"

"No!" Daisuke says much too hastily. He better be careful, or else he'll end up making this much more suspicious than it has to be. "…I mean, don't let this get out, okay? Because what if it reaches your dad? Like you said, it'd be pretty bad."

Saehara takes this into consideration with a hand to his chin. "Hmm, you're right." He grins. "Then we'll have to keep this between us, won't we?"

The redhead looks relieved. "Yes, that would be great." He looks to Risa. "Harada-san? Are you okay with this?"

Risa simply stares at Daisuke. I know she's in love with Dark, so I'm sure for her this is big news. She has no comments to make at the moment, however; her mouth is stuck in a 'oh wow' shape. I crack a smile and Niwa looks uncomfortable, like he doesn't know how this will affect things later on.

A small moment passes. Niwa's richly red eyes hook with mine. He silently asks for assistance from me.

I step in and handle things from there. "The bell is about to ring; we should get to class," I say to the younger Harada and Saehara. I begin walking towards the entrance of the school to prove my point.

"Ah! Wait, Hiwatari-kun…"

I slow my pace and don't dare glance the caller's way. "What is it, Niwa?"

He smiles weakly. "Thanks for getting that picture from Saehara-kun. It's really… embarrassing," he says with a blush. "And thanks for saving me at the end of that. Oh, boy… that's going to turn around and bite me later, won't it?"

"Most likely," I reply. I make sure not to look at him once while we converse down the hallway to class.

"About that photo…"

"You don't need to say anything. I know by now."

"How?"

I look at him finally, my answer written on my face: 'I was in that scrimmage, hence in that scene, so I know what went on and why it's embarrassing.'

"Oh… Well, then can you tell me what happened? I don't remember much, and –"

"Nothing happened," I establish, cutting him off. It's true; there wasn't much of anything that went on last night.

"How did we end up with the artwork? Technically, Dark didn't succeed in stealing it…"

"I gave it to your mother," I inform him.

"What? Honestly? You just… gave it to her?" he asks in disbelief.

"Mhm," I hum in confirmation.

He cocks his head at me, and then grins softly. "That was generous of you. Thank you."

I cast my eyes away and shove my way into the hallway. "Forget about it," are the last words I say to him. He should be more careful next time; I don't want another war raging between our other selves.

The bell rings, and we go to our first classes. I can't focus very well… my head is reeling, literally and figuratively. I'm thinking of that whole odd scene that just happened, which felt like more than needed. My body already underwent a lot of stress, and to have two things at once like that… humiliation because of a snapshot and Niwa making a big lie about Dark… well, it only makes for a gorilla-sized headache.

- - - - - - - .S. .A. .T. .O. -x- .D. .A. .I. - - - - - - -

Immediately after lunch, the announcements come on. The woman on the microphone asks for Niwa and I to come down to the office to speak with the assistant principal. I have no clue as to why, but I walk out of my class and head in that direction without protest. I don't mind ditching class; everything in middle school is rather boring, so leaving is fine by me.

I turn down an empty and silent corridor to face the destined office. Outside the door, I spot a rather tired redhead already seated in the bench outside the door. He's getting close to dozing off, his head nodding towards his shoulder. He truly is exhausted; more so than I am.

I stuff my hands in my pockets and stroll over. "Niwa," I say to him as I approach. "You should've stayed home today."

He opens his eyes and blinks sleepily up at me. His eyes adjust and soften. "Heh, yeah, I probably should have," he says at last, a partial smile on his lips. Daisuke stretches and yawns as he straightens up on the bench. "My mom offered for me to, but I wanted to come to school."

I sit down beside him, vaguely wondering why he wanted to show up at school. I don't ask. Instead, I bring up: "Did they tell you to wait?"

The other boy nods his head. "Yeah. They have something to wrap up… a meeting, I think. Plus, they told me I had to wait for you."

I shift in my seat and stare at a potted plant outside the doorway. "Do you know why we were called down?" I question.

He shakes his head and yawns again. "Nope. But it must not be all that important if they're making us wait."

I shrug in agreement. A silence falls between us. Out of my peripheral view I notice Daisuke beginning to nod off. He'll be snoozing in no time if those teachers don't hurry up.

I fold my hands in my lap and lean my head back against the wall. I'm so tired. If I were as easygoing as the ruby-haired boy beside me, I would've fallen asleep long ago. Hell, if I were as easygoing as him, I would've stayed home. Unfortunately, we're both stubborn, and quite determined, so we both came to school. How foolish of us…

Suddenly, I feel an added weight on my shoulder. I stiffen and glance to my right side. Sure enough, Niwa's head is there. I blink hard, as if this moment isn't real. In those few minutes, had be really fallen asleep and slumped into me?! But he apparently had, because I can feel his warmth spreading through my sleeve.

I look away and start fighting with myself. Should I wake him? Should I let him rest? And then the probabilities arise. What if someone sees us? What if the teachers walk out right now and summon us?

He slips down further, his nose nuzzling my chest as he mumbles nonsense words in his early stage of sleep. I inhale sharply and clench the side of the bench under the armrest. My other hand is lost behind Daisuke's back, and it's growing warm, like my cheeks.

I move, not sure if it'll help jostle him awake or not, but that was a mistake. He falls into my lap, utterly asleep now. He grips my pants at the knee with one hand carelessly lays the other behind my back, which is off the back of the bench from my movement.

'Nice one, Satoshi,' Krad snickers in my mind. 'This sure is comfy. How're you feeling, by the way? Want me to take over? I could wake him up for you… In fact, I could give Dark's tamer a stern talking to for you, warning him not to fall asleep in people's laps.'

Shut up, you're not helping the situation! I mentally yell at him. Leave me be!

He doesn't say anything, but I can picture the blonde smirking devilishly.

I lift him slowly and prop him up. Having him in my lap is not very comfortable, for a number of reasons. But he feels heavier than usual, and it's hard to keep him propped in a way that doesn't make him slump in the opposite direction, which would ultimately lead to him bashing his head on the other armrest. "Niwa," I mumble, "Wake up."

His eyelids twitch, and I take it as an indication that he heard me.

"Wake up, Niwa," I repeat. I shake him a little, and he opens his eyes. I let him go, thinking he's awake, but he falls forward and presses against me. I squirm as he tries to force himself up. "Daisuke!" I hiss, my hands shoving him upwards.

My face, I bet, is as red as Niwa's gets sometimes. I need to wipe it pale again before he notices. Gah, damn my contradicting emotions… part of me never wanted to move, and now that I have, the same part of me regrets it.

"Mn… Sorry, Hikari-kun," Daisuke mutters as he wakes up finally. He leans off of me and scoots to the far side of the bench. He's blushing as well. "I… really should have stayed home, huh?"

I stare at the flooring and nod my head. He's been getting too close to me lately, and it's taking a toll on my self-control.

"Hello, boys," the assistant principal says as she steps out of her office in that moment. "Would you come inside my office? There's something we'd like to ask you," she says.

When she says 'we', I wonder if it's the royal 'we' or the collective 'we'. I find out as soon as Niwa and I enter the office and find Saehara there. And no, I'm not referring to Takeshi, I mean his father. If only it were Takeshi… I would take him and his silly photos over the police chief any day.

"Niwa… Hiwatari," he nods to us separately. "We want to ask you a few questions."

"About what?" the redhead wonders. Innocent as always.

I cross my arms. "About our whereabouts last night. They want to know why we were involved with Dark and Kr… the white-winged man."

"Oh," Daisuke murmurs. He sighs and sits down in the chair our assistant principal motions to.

I don't sit in the other chair to join him. I'm still a bit shaken by the scene on the bench, and I'd much rather stand for this sort of topic. I walk to behind Daisuke's chair and lean down to say in his ear: "I'll do all the talking. Don't answer unless necessary."

I can hear him gulp nervously. I bet he thinks they suspect him to be Dark. But I know better; Saehara isn't that smart. And the assistant principal is utterly oblivious. She's the one sitting in the chair behind her desk, facing Daisuke, but the real interrogation is between the parked chief and myself.

His hands are behind his back, his feet shoulder-width apart, his eyes watching mine. I fix my glasses by sliding them up the bride of my nose and let my arms resume their place across my chest. "So, what're your thoughts, officer?"

"Don't play coy, Hiwatari! We saw you handing that artwork to Niwa's mother –"

"As a gift," I say calmly. "After all, it's in my heritance; technically, I can do what I want with that piece."

"What? But it's owned by the Hikari's –"

"Which is the family I'm descended from. Or have you forgotten that my father isn't actually my father?" I remind him.

He stares dumbfounded at me for a long minute. Then, "Well, that still doesn't explain what happened! Why was this boy here," he rudely points to Niwa with a meaty finger, "Found unconscious? And there were black feathers scattered all around the area, likely from Dark himself!"

"There were also white feathers," I mention. "From an unknown man similar to Dark, only he doesn't steal."

"Yeah! Explain all that!" the policeman shouts.

I smirk lightly. "I can't. I don't know who the white-feathered perpetrator is," I bluff. Daisuke knows the truth and sees through my bluff like a newly cleaned glass window, but Saehara is fooled.

"Then…" He scratches the side of his head, puzzled. "Why were you two even there? Can't you explain that?"

"I was trailing Dark," I say. It's a white lie, but not much of one. "And Niwa was helping me."

The redhead nods fiercely, his hair bounding. "I was! He…" He pauses to think of an excuse. "Called me on his cell phone. So I came to help him out, because I know Dark's way of thinking, and –"

"You know his manner of thinking? How so?" Saehara grins. I'm sure he thinks he's on to something.

Dammit, Daisuke, I told you not to speak unless necessary, I sigh mentally. Outwardly I rub one of my temples as he keeps talking.

"Er, well… he's a friend of mine… my cousin, actually," he adds, using the lie he told his friends. Great, the last person we wanted to know the fib is being told directly. Fantastic… I roll my eyes. Niwa keeps rambling. "I've known him a long time, and it's easy fro me to track what he's about to do. So when Hikari-kun called, I agreed to help because I don't approve of my cousin stealing all the time."

The last part seemed a bit too true. Did Daisuke truly dislike all the theft? It's believable; he may have been raised to do it, but he probably doesn't like doing it. He has a good heart.

But I bet this little speech is ruining Dark. I almost want to laugh; I can just picture his cocky demeanor fading as he gets pissed and fires off all sorts of vile things from his mouth. Yes, I wager he's pretty angry with my red-haired friend at the moment. I wish I could help, but he brought it upon himself.

"Hmm, I see…" Saehara murmurs into his hand. He straightens his pose and crosses him arms. "I think we should let you kids go back to class. Thanks for chatting with your lovely assistant principal and myself," he says to dismiss us.

I grab Niwa's bicep and haul him to his feet. "Yes, we better be getting back to class. Have a nice day," I state dully as I pull the redhead to the door. I give a half bow on my way out and Niwa follows my example.

Then we're alone in the hallway.

I turn a corner and stop him, releasing my grip. The only classrooms near us are quiet music rooms and art rooms with no one inside. "You should be more careful, baka!" I hiss lowly to him. "Now everyone will think all kinds of things because of that 'white lie' you told to your friends and Saehara's father!"

"I… I'm sorry…" Niwa whispers. He breaks our eye contact and glances at the nearest door handle. He fiddles with it, his hands sliding across the wood and onto the metal, his fingertips dancing small circles on the surface. He's nervous. "But it worked, didn't it?"

I exhale through my nose loudly and face the other way. It's hard to keep up this façade. The façade that I play day in and day out, and only broke when I was ill. It's the façade that I'm reluctant to be with Niwa and that I am easily angered with his mistakes in our historical bloodline situation.

…The façade that I'm not in love with him.

'But when are you going to stop lying to him, eh, Satoshi?'

[/end ch.4]